


Anahata

by Ysabetwordsmith



Series: Love Is For Children [23]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Boundaries, F/M, Families of Choice, Friendship, Healing, Innuendo, Love, Moving Meditation, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Romance, Safety, Taking pleasure in physical activity, Team as Family, Trust, Yoga, respect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 10:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3377999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ysabetwordsmith/pseuds/Ysabetwordsmith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Betty admires Bruce doing yoga in his clingy yoga pants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Anahata

**Author's Note:**

> This poem came out of the February 2015 Crowdfunding Creative Jam.  It was inspired by a prompt from Dreamwidth user Anke. It also fills the "Sweat / Yoga Pants" square in [my 1-31-15 card](http://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/10142543.html) for the Valentine's Day Bingo Fest.  This poem belongs to the series [](http://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/9744636.html)_Love Is For Children_
> 
> A note on feedback: While it's not necessary to comment on every post I make, remember that I don't know who reads/likes things if nobody says anything. Particularly on long stories, I've discovered that I get antsy if there's nothing but crickets chirping for several posts. So it helps to give me feedback at least once, even if it's just "I like this" or "This one doesn't grab me." First and last episodes are ideal if you rarely feel inspired to comment in the middle.
> 
> Anonymous commenters: You don't have to specify exactly who you are, but it helps to have a first name or a username from some other service, so I have some idea of who's saying which and how many different "Anonymous" folks there are. You can just type some kind of identifier at the end of your comment.

Betty loves watching Bruce do yoga.

She loves watching him fold himself  
into the supple poses, his body  
so much stronger and suppler  
than most people realize.

She loves feeling his heart open,  
 _anahata_ glowing as vividly green as gamma,  
although that's a comparison that Betty  
never mentions to Bruce.

She loves how his workout clothes  
cling to his body, the stretchy knit  
expanding and contracting as he moves,  
like gas responding to temperature changes.

There's a pose for this, too,  
 _anahatasana,_ the Melting Heart,  
kneeling with chin to the floor  
and arms extended forward.

When Bruce does it, his yoga pants  
pull tight over his tush, showing off  
muscles that almost nobody  
notices he even has.

Betty also loves the _bhujangasana,_  
the Cobra Pose, that pushes out his chest;  
and the _ustrasana,_ or Camel Pose,  
that displays the soft little belly  
he's building up now that he's  
finally getting enough food  
and some sense of safety.

Bruce twists through the _trikonasana,_  
binding and unbinding the triangle,  
fabric flowing around him as he moves.

Betty moves beside him,  
and they shift from solo mode  
into partner yoga.

They climb the Triple Hill,  
gazing into each other's eyes.

Betty glimpses Hulk in there  
and smiles at him; he smiles back,  
Hulk's big sloppy grin on  
Bruce's small pink face.

The Forward Bend Lounge  
drapes Betty over Bruce's back,  
flowing over him like water over stone.

In the Flying Bow, she bends  
backward over his raised feet instead,  
and dreams of what it would be like  
for Hulk to send her flying over a nice lake,  
but she knows that Hulk won't  
until Bruce is ready.

They finish in the Seated Forward Bend,  
bowing to each other over their extended legs,  
soles of the feet touching and forearms clasping,  
their breath coming in unison like a fine line  
of connection between them.

Even when they're not in pose,  
Betty loves seeing Bruce in yoga pants,  
wandering around Avengers Tower  
clad in soft, stretchy cloth  
that hugs his body.

The yoga dress pants are a delight,  
comfortable enough to wear at home,  
serious enough to pass at the office.

Betty is a fan of anything that helps Bruce  
to fret less over the meetings he needs to attend,  
and darling Pepper has approved them  
after earlier complaints about  
the holes in his jeans.

And if Captain America occasionally trots past  
waving his fine fanny like a flag,  
well, that's just gravy.

**Author's Note:**

> [The Heart Chakra](http://www.chakra-anatomy.com/heart-chakra.html) relates to love. Know how to [balance it](http://www.oneworldhealing.net/chakra-healing/anahata/).
> 
> Yoga Pants come in [regular](http://yoga.about.com/od/yogagear/tp/Yoga-Pants-Mens.htm) and [dress](http://www.betabrand.com/collections/dress-pant-yoga-pants-collection.html) styles now.
> 
>  _Anahata_ refers both to the heart chakra and the Heart Melting yoga pose, sometimes also called _[anahatasana](http://www.yinyoga.com/ys2_2.0_asanas_anahatasana.php)_. There are [multiple poses](http://asktheyogateacher.com/wp-content/themes/yogalife/sandbox-layouts/images/mediakit/HeartFlowYoga.pdf) for [opening this chakra](http://www.choprayoga.com/vancouver/all-you-need-is-love-heart-opening-yoga-poses/). They include the [Cobra Pose](http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/cobra-pose/), [Camel Pose](http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/camel-pose/), and [Triangle Pose](http://www.artofliving.org/yoga/yoga-poses/triangle-pose-trikonasana). You can also find [poses for friends or lovers](http://yoganonymous.com/8-partner-yoga-poses-for-friends-and-lovers).
> 
> For my asexual and/or aromantic friends, butts are important. Many heterosexual women admire a firm, shapely backside on men. For a discussion of what makes an attractive or unattractive butt, see this [guide to Disney Prince butts](http://www.buzzfeed.com/kristinchirico/every-disney-princes-butt-ranked-from-worst-to-best#.uo5dABoJoz). Captain America has a spectacular butt. Cap has a pretty spectacular everything! Betty believes that just because she's already ordered her entree doesn't prevent her from reading the menu. She just doesn't read out loud, because leching on someone can hurt feelings.


End file.
